Bobbin supporting apparatus



' g- 1967. P. c. EPPENDAHL BOBBIN SUPPORTING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Feb. 16, 1965 Flal.

INVENTOE Puaaes C. EPPENDAHL UAtSun, GQ QQI (All. \Jojg an ATTORNEYKAug. 29, I967 Filed Feb. 16, 1965 INVENIOR PIERRE C. EPPENDAHL P. c.EPPENDAHL 3,338,528

BOBBIN SUPPORTING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTOEMEY)S United StatesPatent France Filed Feb. 16, 1965, Ser. No. 433,138 Claims priority,applicationsFrance Feb. 18, 1964, 44 47 3 Claims. in. 242-18) Thisinvention relates to apparatus for supporting bobbins in textilemachinery and is more particularly concerned with apparatus foreffecting the engagement and disengagement of the bobbins and theirassociated driving mechanism.

In such apparatus the bobbin on which yarn is to be wound is normallysupported in a horizontal plane by a pair of arms holding it at eachend, the arms being arranged to pivot as a unit about a parallelhorizontal axis so that the bobbin can be brought into and out ofengagement with a driving cylinder. The bobbin is at present normallyheld in engagement with the driving cylinder by gravity and is retainedout of engagement by locking mechanism releasable upon actuation of alever or handle.

Apparatus according to the present invention for supporting a bobbin intextile machinery comprises a bobbin support arranged to support abobbin rotatably thereon and a pivotal connection between said bobbinsupport and a supporting structure permitting the support to pivot aboutan axis parallel to and displaced from the axis of rotation of thebobbin carried by the support so as to be movable from an engagedposition in which the bobbin is in engagement with a driving cylinder toa retracted position in which the bobbin is out of engagement with thedriving cylinder, and releasable locking means for holding the bobbin inthe retracted position which is automatically engaged by movement of thesupport to the retracted position and which is automatically released byfurther movement of the support in the same direction in which it ismoved to engage the said locking means.

Preferably one of two parts rigid with the supporting structure and thesupport is provided with a spring biassed retaining member and the otherwith a groove arranged so that on movement of the support to theretracted position the spring biassed retaining member enters the grooveto retain the support in the retracted position while on furthermovement in the same direction the spring biassed retaining member isdisengaged from the groove and an overriding device is moved into itsoperative position to prevent the retaining member from re-entering thegroove. The overriding device may enter the groove so that on the returnmovement to the engaged position the spring biassed member cannot enterthe groove and the spring biassed retaining member may be carried by thesupport while the groove may be provided on a part rigid with thesupporting structure.

Preferably the part rigid with the supporting structure has acircumferential recess extending around it in which lies and can slide aring having a gap which in the inoperative position of the device liesopposite the groove, whereas on the said further movement of the supportone end of the device enters the groove to prevent the spring biassedmember from re-entering it on return to the engaged position, themovement of the support relative to the supporting structure beingarranged to restore the ring to its inoperative position prior to returnof the support to the retracted position. The groove may have theappropriate edge chamfered so as to enable the retaining member to slideout of the groove during the said further movement of the support.Vibration damping mechanism may be provided to suppress vibrationsbetween the bobbin support and the supporting structure.

The invention may be carried into practice in various ways but oneexample will now be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is in part a cross-section through and in part an elevation ofapparatus for supporting a bobbin according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-section on the line 22 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a more deetailed cross-section of the ring shown in FIGURE2;

FIGURE 4 is an end elevation of the ring shown in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is an end elevation of the in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is a cross-section through the release pin;

FIGURE 7 is a cross-section on the line 77 of FIG- RE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a cross-section similar to FIGURE 2 showing the mechanism inthe retracted position; and

FIGURE 9 is a similar cross-section to FIGURE 8 showing the mechanism inthe position ready to return to the engaged position.

As shown in FIGURE 1 each bobbin support is supported on a shaft 1forming the supporting structure, the bobbin support comprising a body 2pivotally mounted on the shaft 1, and having arms 3 extending therefromsupporting between them rotatably at their outer ends a bobbin 4arranged to engage a driving cylinder 5.

The body 2 has a cylindrical recess 6 in one end housing lockingmechanism for retaining the bobbin 4 out of engagement with the drivingcylinder 5. The locking mechanism comprises a main locking ring 7, shownmore clearly in FIGURE 3, secured to the shaft 1 by means of two grubscrews 8, having extending around it a circumferential groove 10 and anaxially extending groove '11 in its circumference, with a straight edge12 and a chamfered edge 13 at its upper side. Arranged to fit in thegroove 10 is a sliding ring 14, shown in FIGURE 5, extending throughabout 300 so as to leave a gap of approximately 60 between its ends 14aand 14b. The dimensions of the ring 14 are such that it fits into thegroove 10 with its outer surface fiush with the outer surface of thelocking ring 7 and such that it is a sliding fit within the groove 10.

Mounted in a bore in the body 2 is a locking pin 15 positioned so thatits inner end will engage, when in the appropriate position, the groove11 and urged radially inwardly by a spring 16. Also positioned in a borein the body 2 is a release pin 17, shown more clearly in FIG- URES 6 and7 from which it will be seen that it has a fiat fish tail like end ortang 18 which fits into the groove 10 between the ends 14a and 14b ofthe ring 14. The release pin 17 is held in position at its outer end bymeans of a retaining member 19. The locking assembly is retained withinthe housing 6 between two rings 20 of fibrous material at either end,which assist vibration damping, by a ring type spring 21 which is keptin place by pressure from a threaded ring 22 engaging the end of therecess 6.

The operation of the assembly is as follows: When the assembly is in theengaged position the bobbin 4 engages the driving cylinder 5 and isretained there by gravity, the disposition of the parts in this positionbeing as shown in FIGURE 2. In this position the body part is free torotate about the shaft 1 to which the locking ring 7 is secured. When itis desired to disengage the bobbin from the driving cylinder the bobbinsupport is lifted so that the body 2 rotates about the shaft 1 until thelocking pin 15 comes opposite the groove 11 into which it is forced bythe spring 16 to hold the body sliding ring shown and hence the bobbinout of engagement with the driving cylinder. During this movement therelease pin 17 has pushed the sliding ring 14 around, since it engagesits end 14a, and the other end 14b has come directly behind the groove11, the disposition of the parts in this position being shown moreclearly in FIGURE 8. In order to release the body 2 from this lockedposition it is lifted (i.e. moved once again in the same direction as itis moved towards the locking position) and during this movement thelocking pin 15 slides up the chamter 13 on the groove 11 until it isonce again engaging the periphery of the ring 7, and at the same timethe release pin 17 pushes the sliding ring 14 round the groove 10 sothat it now obstructs the groove 11 and masks off its shape. Thus whenthe body is released and the bobbin once again moves downwards towardsthe position in which it will be in engagement with the drivingcylinder, the locking pin 15 slides downwards over the sliding ring 14and passes over the groove 11, back into engagement with the drivingcylinder.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for supporting a bobbin in textile machinery comprising asupporting structure; a bobbin support including supporting means tosupport a bobbin rotatably thereon, said bobbin support being pivotallyconnected to said supporting structure about an axis parallel to anddisplaced from the axis of rotation of said supporting means; a drivingcylinder for driving said bobbin by engagement of said bobbin therewith;means for moving said bobbin support about said axis between an engagedposition in which said bobbin is in engagement with the driving cylinderand a retracted position in which said bobbin is out of engagement withsaid driving cylinder, said means comprising a spring biassed retainingmember mounted on the bobbin support; a groove in the supportingstructure engageable by the spring biassed retaining member in theretracted position to retain said bobbin support in said position; andmeans for disengaging said bobbin support from the retracted position byfurther movement of said bobbin support in the same direction asmovement towards the retracted position comprising a circumferentialrecess extending around the supporting structure, a masking member inthe form of a ring with a circumferential gap therein mounted in ill andslidable with respect to said circumferential recess, said gap beingpositioned in register with said groove when said bobbin is in theretracted position, means operative by said further movement of saidbobbin support to move the gap in the masking member out of registerwith the groove and to retain said gap in the masking member out ofregister with the groove after said further movement, said maskingmember preventing said spring biassed retaining member re-entering thegroove on return to the engaged position, and means operative duringreturn movement of the bobbin support relative to the supportingstructure after said spring biassed retaining member has passed saidgroove to restore the masking member to a position with said gap inregister with the groove in the supporting structure.

2. Apparatus for supporting a bobbin in textile machinery as claimed inclaim 1 in which said supporting structure has a cylindrical surfacepart in which said annular recess is formed, and said masking member hasits outer surface flush with said cylindrical surface.

3. Apparatus for supporting a bobbin as claimed in claim 1 in which saidmeans to move said gap in the masking member out of register with thegroove in said supporting structure during said further movement andsaid means to restore said gap in register with said groove during saidreturn movement comprises a member in said bobbin support provided witha tang projecting into said gap in the masking member, said tangengaging the ends of the gap in the masking member when said bobbinsupport is moved.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,231,837 2/1941 Elvin et al.242--18 2,743,061 4/1956 Kingsbury 24218 2,776,098 1/1957 Bau-mann etal. 242129.51 2,989,257 6/1961 Schuler et al. 242-18 FOREIGN PATENTS1,342,285 9/1963 France.

660,927 11/1951 Great Britain.

886,076 1/ 1962 Great Britain.

STANLEY N. GILREATH, Primary Examiner.

1. APPARATUS FOR SUPPORTING A BOBBIN IN TEXTILE MACHINERY COMPRISING ASUPPORTING STRUCTURE; A BOTTOM SUPPORT INCLUDING SUPPORTING MEANS TOSUPPORT A BOBBIN ROTATABLY THEREON, SAID BOBBIN SUPPORT BEING PIVOTALLYCONNECTED TO SAID SUPPORTING STRUCTURE ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL TO ANDDISPLACED FROM THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID SUPPORTING MEANS; A DRIVINGCYLINDER FOR DRIVING SAID BOBBIN BY ENGAGEMENT OF SAID BOBBIN THEREWITH;MEANS FOR MOVING SAID BOBBIN SUPPORT ABOUT SAID AXIS BETWEEN AN ENGAGEDPOSITION IN WHICH SAID BOBBIN IS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE DRIVING CYLINDERAND A RETRACTED POSITION IN WHICH SAID BOBBIN IS OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITHSAID DRIVING CYLINDER, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A SPRING BIASSED RETAININGMEMBER MOUNTED ON THE BOBBIN SUPPORT; A GROOVE IN THE SUPPORTINGSTRUCTURE ENGAGEABLE BY THE SPRING BIASSED RETAINING MEMBER IN THERETRACTED POSITION TO RETAIN SAID BOBBIN SUPPORT IN SAID POSITION; ANDMEANS FOR DISENGAGING SAID BOBBIN SUPPORT FROM THE RETRACTED POSITION BYFURTHER MOVEMENT OF SAID BOBBIN SUPPORT IN THE SAME DIRECTION ASMOVEMENT TOWARDS THE RETRACTED POSITION COMPRISING A CIRCUMFERENTIALRECESS EXTENDING AROUND THE SUPPORTING STRUCTURE, A MASKING MEMBER INTHE FORM OF A RING WITH A CIRCUMFERENTIAL GAP THEREIN MOUNTED IN ANDSLIDABLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID CIRCUMFERENTIAL RECESS, SAID GAP BEINGPOSITIONED IN REGISTER WITH SAID GROOVE WHEN SAID BOBBIN IS IN THERETRACTED POSITION, MEANS OPERATIVE BY SAID FURTHER MOVEMENT OF SAIDBOBBIN SUPPORT TO MOVE THE GAP IN THE MASKING MEMBER OUT OF REGISTERWITH THE GROOVE AND TO RETAIN SAID GAP IN THE MASKING MEMBER OUT OFREGISTER WITH THE GROOVE AFTER SAID FURTHER MOVEMENT, SAID MASKINGMEMBER PREVENTING SAID SPRING BIASSED RETAINING MEMBER RE-ENTERING THEGROOVE ON RETURN TO THE ENGAGED POSITION, AND MEANS OPERATIVE DURINGRETURN MOVEMENT OF THE BOBBIN SUPPORT RELATIVE TO THE SUPPORT STRUCTUREAFTER SAID SPRING BIASSED RETAINING MEMBER HAS PASSED SAID GROOVE TORESTORE THE MASKING MEMBER TO A POSITION WITH SAID GAP IN REGISTER WITHTHE GROOVE IN THE SUPPORTING STRUCTURE.